Maker’s Mark Boldest Bet in 70 Years Might Change Whiskey Forever

The company’s new Star Hill Farm Whisky is a brand and industry first that could eventually shift trends in how whiskey ingredients are sourced.

A bottle of Star Hill Farm Whisky shown against a background of tall wheat.

By Ben Bowers

Published April 8, 2025

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Maker’s Mark has revealed a new whisky label, Star Hill Farm Whisky.

It’s the company’s first whisky based on a new mashbill since the distillery opened 70 years ago, and it’s not a bourbon.

These two facts alone immediately qualify this announcement as one of the biggest stories in American whiskey in 2025.

But the Star Hill Farm Whisky label is also obviously more than a novelty ploy for revenue after back-to-back years of industry-wide declines in American whiskey sales.

Instead, it’s a long-term bet on a growing production trend that could transform the whisky-distilling landscape if given time and further investment.

From Wheated Bourbon to Whisky

A bottle of Star Hill Farm Whisky shown being carried in one hand by a person walking through a field of golden wheat. — Star Hill Farm Whisky’s first release is surprisingly the first true wheat whisky ever made by the iconic wheated bourbon brand.

Though the first bottling of Star Hill Farm Whisky isn’t a new bourbon, it shares roots with Maker’s Mark namesake spirit. That’s because it’s primarily made from the iconic bourbon’s defining ingredient, red winter wheat.

Technically, the first iteration of what’s slated to be a new annual whisky release is a blend of two mashbills, both corn-free and aged between seven and eight years.

A red Maker's Mark delivery truck shown loaded with grains a golden wheat parked in a golden wheat field. — Red winter wheat is a key link between Maker’s Mark bourbon and Star Hill Farm Whisky. It’s the key ingredient in Maker’s Mark bourbon and the primary ingredient in Star Hill Farm’s inaugural wheat whisky release.

One mashbill recipe is made from 70% red winter wheat and 30% barley, and the other is from 100% malted red winter wheat. The exact proportions of each mashbill are unclear, but the final blend is bottled at 114.7 proof.

Like any good set of official tasting notes, Maker’s Mark describes the new wheat whisky as the life-sustaining nectar of the gods.

The nose is apparently highlighted by caramel, raisins, and gingerbread, while the initial taste teases a “bright mix of honeyed toffee, chocolate-covered cherries, and a hint of apple pie spice.” Its “smooth and inviting” finish closes with “toasted pecans and soft cinnamon.”

A glass of Star Hill Farm Whisky held in the hand of a model standing in a wheat field shown from the waist down to the thigh. — Of course, Star Hill Whisky’s first official tasting notes sound delicious. However, as an annual and experimental release, every subsequent edition could differ substantially from this first batch.

But the next year’s bottle could be substantially different in makeup and taste.

The press materials state that “Star Hill Farm Whisky will evolve each year, exploring flavors that soil, wheat, water and wood impart to quality ingredients when expertly blended, aged and grown regeneratively.”

The Dawn of ‘Estate Whiskey’

A mock-up whiskey bottle showing what the Estate Whiskey Certified seal of approval might look like. — The Estate Whiskey Alliance released this mock-up to illustrate how the Estate Whiskey Certified logo might appear on bottles.

The name Star Hill Farm Whisky might sound strangely familiar, at least to some whiskey nerds, given it’s the name of the farm that the Maker’s Mark distillery has sat on since 1953.

Of course, the new label’s connections to land and agriculture aren’t a mere coincidence.

Beyond being the first wheat whisky made by Maker’s Mark, Star Hill Farm Whisky is also the first whisky to carry an Estate Whiskey certification.

The special designation is overseen by the conveniently named Estate Whiskey Alliance group (EWA), which was initially formed by the University of Kentucky and other affiliated parties in 2023.

25-Whiskeys-To-Try-Before-You-Die-gear-patrol-Makers-Mark — Many familiar with the Maker’s Mark bottle often overlook the symbol of Star Hill Farm placed prominently on the label, which is filled with references to Maker’s Mark history. The star represents the family’s Bardstown residence. The ‘S’ stands for the Samuels family, which founded the company. The Roman numeral ‘IV’ acknowledges founder Bill Samuels’ legacy as a four-generation distiller.

The term and official certification process are the tip of a prescient marketing spear honed and aimed at a tricky long-range target.

Think of it as whiskey’s farm-to-table movement, only with better foresight and lawyers.

In the simplest terms, the group’s goal is to formally codify and build consumer awareness for a new genre of whiskey that emphasizes localized production and ingredient sourcing.

Star Hill Farm is the name of the farm that the Maker’s Mark distillery has sat on since 1953.

Maker’s Mark

According to the EWA, the first condition of Estate Whiskey is that key production processes, including “milling, cooking, fermentation, distillation, barreling, aging, and bottling all occur on the estate distillery.”

The second and more onerous requirement to being an Estate Whiskey is that “at least 2/3 of all [the whiskey’s] mash bill grains [by weight] are grown on estate-owned or controlled land.”

Bottles that meet both requirements can be officially certified and distinguished as Estate Whiskey to consumers via a distinctive bottle logo.

Planting Seeds of Change

A portrait photo of Rob Samuels, the 8th generation distiller and managing director of Maker's Mark Distillery shown holding a glass of whisky standing next to a bottle of Maker's Mark and Star Hill Farms Whisky — The brand credits Rob Samuels, an 8th-generation distiller and the Managing Director of the Maker’s Mark Distillery, with focusing on making Star Hill Farm “a sustainable, culturally rich, and endearing homeplace.” Rob’s signature is featured prominently on the neck of the Star Hill Farm whisky bottle.

It’s a significant feather in Star Hill Farm Whisky’s cap to be the first certified Estate Whiskey.

But it also won’t surprise whiskey insiders that a Suntory Global-owned brand broke this new ground.

That’s because the spirits goliath, which owns both Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam, initially donated $5 million to the University of Kentucky in 2019 to fund the creation of the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. The company also pledged another $7.5 million to the Institute in 2024.

A shot of a field of wheat in front of Maker's Mark distillery in the distance. — Late last fall, the Estate Whiskey Alliance group introduced seven founding distillery members, including Maker’s Mark, to the organization.

It just so happens that the EWA was created in partnership with James B. Beam Institute back in 2023, alongside founding members including the University of Kentucky and UK Innovate—described by the University of Kentucky’s own news outlet as “UK’s innovation, entrepreneurship and economic enterprise for University of Kentucky Research.“

Late last fall, the EWA also introduced seven founding distillery members, including Maker’s Mark, to the organization (though interestingly enough, not Jim Beam).

As such, it makes perfect sense that Maker’s Mark was in a prime position to lead the Estate Whiskey push. It also aligns neatly with the distillery’s other notable brand moves in the past, like becoming “the largest distillery in the world” and “first in Kentucky’s famed Bourbon Country” to earn B Corporation Certification.

A Platform For Growth

A bottle of Star Hill Farm Whisky shown sitting on a red box in a field of golden wheat — Alongside the label’s launch, Maker’s Mark is also touting the newly formed Maker’s Mark Regenerative Alliance. According to the Maker’s Mark website, “Star Hill Farm is the world’s first distillery to achieve Regenified Tier 3 certification.”

While the inaugural bottle will garner the most attention from whiskey fans now, it’s clear that Maker’s Mark also sees its Star Hill Farm Whisky initiative as a stepping stone towards longer-range goals around sustainability and innovation.

Alongside the label’s launch, Maker’s Mark is touting the newly formed Maker’s Mark Regenerative Alliance in partnership with Regenified, a certifier of regenerative agriculture, and Understanding Ag, a consultancy group that helps clients “successfully implement regenerative agricultural and ecological principles.”

Together, the alliance, in Maker’s Mark’s words, “will invite farms, bars and restaurants —starting in New York, Kentucky, and greater London — to join its mission: pledging to adopt regenerative practices in sourcing and operations while promoting its benefits through menu storytelling and consumer engagement.”

Building Future Advantages

The three bottles of Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass Whiskey Collection sitting on top of a bourbon barrel inside a bourbon barrel storage warehouse — Last year, Heaven Hill launched its Grain to Glass collection, which aims to make whiskey from grains designed to thrive in local central Kentucky soil near Heaven Hill’s distillery.

Way before concerns over tariffs entered the American economic zeitgeist, I did my best to outline why the growing trend of developing and cultivating exclusive, local ingredients could reshape bourbon forever.

For brevity’s sake, here’s a mishmash of quotes summarizing my musings on the business strategy potentially influencing releases like Star Hill Whisky beyond sustainability.

“Given the circumstances, distillers and their marketing-minded colleagues deserve plenty of credit. Together, they’ve built a thriving ecosystem of hundreds of brands. And they’ve done it mostly without the luxury of patents and exclusive technologies that entrench competitive advantages across other industries.

But what would the [whiskey] industry look like if that suddenly changed?

“What if, instead of relying exclusively on hooks like secret family recipes and local pure waters, [whiskeys] were further distinguished in tangible ways by brand-exclusive ingredients chosen to match the specific requirements of their master distillers?”

What if, instead of relying exclusively on hooks like secret family recipes and local pure waters, [whiskeys] were further distinguished in tangible ways by brand-exclusive ingredients chosen to match the specific requirements of their master distillers?”

“There are at least a few possible futures in which tailor-made ingredients lead to eventual brand-defining flavor trademarks or, more mundanely, critical supply chain advantages for the distillers investing in the practice.”

Pricing and Availability

The inaugural release of Star Hill Farm Whisky will unsurprisingly be “limited” and boast a premium price tag of $100.

Maker’s Mark says bottles will become available mid-May in America at “select retailers nationwide and available for purchase at the Maker’s Mark Distillery by booking a Star Hill Farm Whisky experience.” It’ll also go on sale in Australia later in 2025.